China Daily,
July 12, 2011
China's
Family Planning Policy To Focus On Quality Of Life
A major shift
in China's family planning policy will result in a greater focus
on population management than on quantity control, to improve
people's quality of life, a leading official said on Monday.
Li Bin, minister
of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, was
speaking on Monday at an international event to mark World Population
Day.
The global
population is expected to pass 7 billion in October.
Another senior
official endorsed the policy change as "revolutionary".
"The
ongoing shift is significant and revolutionary," Zhao Baige,
vice-minister of the commission, told China Daily.
"We have
to innovate in both our population strategy and its implementation"
to tackle such emerging problems as urbanization, an aging population
and declining fertility rates, she said.
Nobuko Horibe,
director of the United Nations Population Fund Asia and Pacific
Regional Office, said the policy shift is necessary.
"It is
in line with China's changing demographics and national interest.
I think China is now ready for the shift.
"Everyone
has the right to live and to realize their potential. It is the
government's responsibility to provide the people with suitable
conditions," Horibe said.
Zhao said
the shift, which highlights the importance of providing services,
will see China better develop its human resources.
To help realize
the goal, the commission has already expanded services from those
concerning reproduction to after-birth health, early child development
and giving young people access to mental healthcare.
Care for the
elderly is also being boosted and public services for marginalized
groups, such as migrants and families left behind in rural areas,
are being provided.
"Our
new task will cover issues concerning the population through different
age stages. This is important for the development of the country
and its people," Zhao said.
The commission
has been trying to establish a professional team to deliver services
to the public, taking advantage of its networks across the country,
Zhao said.
However, given
China's size and different demographics, "it takes years
for the system to change its focus on providing services,"
Zhao added.
For the foreseeable
future the sheer size of the population will remain a key factor
in the nation's social and economic development.
"We'll
fine-tune the family planning policy gradually," the commission's
Li said.
Wycliffe Ambetsa
Oparanya, Kenya's development minister, said China could share
its experiences in population and development programs with other
countries.
"There
are 41 million people in Kenya and we don't have enough food to
feed them. Without addressing the population issue our country
can hardly develop," he said.
Kenyan women
give birth, on average, to 4.6 children.
"People
have to make sure they can support children, particularly in education,
to foster quality population," he added.
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